DE3106195C2 - Height-adjustable support for an underwater pipeline - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an adjustable support which is particularly suitable for underwater pipelines laid at a distance from the seabed. Their structure is simpler and easier to handle than already known supports and consists essentially of two parts, namely a lower part in the form of a tubular frame with a square or rectangular base, which is provided with four sliding vertical legs (6) of adjustable length, which carry support plates (10) at their lower ends, which can be adapted to the inclination of the seabed, and an upper part in the form of a plate (11) on which a stationary half-saddle (12), which is designed as a hook in its upper part, and a slidable half-saddle (13) is arranged which is movable into contact with the fixed half-saddle by means of release and locking devices so that a semicircular support base is formed for the pipeline (22) to be supported. The upper part and the lower part are connected to one another by two hydraulic rams (2) and four inclined telescopic legs (3). Between the support base for the ram and the inclined telescopic legs and the lower part, depending on the distance of the pipeline to be supported from the seabed, lattice structures (30) of greater or lesser height can be used.

Description

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a) on the plate (11) at least one half-saddle (23) for receiving the pipeline (22) cannot be displaced is attached, which is detachably connected to a hook part (12) engaging around the pipe is, and that

b) the plate (11) is detachably connected to at least one extension piece (20) which a half-saddle (13) which, after releasing a blocking device (15) under the pressure a spring (16) is displaceable against the non-displaceable half-saddle (23) and in this Position is blocked against sliding back by means of a ratchet.

2. Height-adjustable support according to claim 1, characterized in that between the Plate (11) with the telescopic legs (3, 4) and plungers (2) hinged to it on the one hand and the frame (1) on the other hand or between the plate (11) on the one hand and the frame (1) with the on it hinged telescopic legs (3, 4) and plungers (2) on the other hand, further, from horizontally arranged Frame (31, 36, 37), height-adjustable, vertically arranged legs (30, 34, 35) and stiffening struts (33) provided scaffolding structures to increase the height of the support are.

3. Height-adjustable support according to claim 2, characterized in that the base frame (1) is expanded to increase the support surface and has more than four legs (6; 34, 35) having.

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The invention relates to a height-adjustable support for a distance of more than 80 cm from Seabed laid underwater pipeline, as described in the preamble of claim 1.

Such a support, but without legs between the frame and the support plates, the one has a very compact design, is used to support underwater pipelines that extend at a distance of less than 80 cm from the sea floor (DE-OS with the same priority 31 06 199).

It is an adjustable support known that an underwater pipeline at any distance Can support above the sea floor (DE-OS 29 42 044). However, this support is complicated constructed and requires numerous operations during installation after a detachable upper part of the Assistance is removed and obtained for reuse. However, they remain on the sea floor over the pipeline protruding upper ends of the four support legs provided with a toothing, see above that can get caught on these fishing nets and tear.

A support for supporting pipelines on the seabed is also already known, which have a box-shaped construction with four support plates hinged at their lower ends, Telescopically extendable legs are known, which are tailored to the specific application Length adjustment can be fixed by locking bolts (DE-OS 28 02 111). The Construction of a saddle to accommodate the lower profile section of the pipeline. This saddle is with a vertically arranged hydraulic piston can be extended, which is prevented from retracting by means of a locking toothing and a locking piece is secured. This support with a box-shaped construction, vertically arranged hydraulic ram and a leg length fixation by retractable bolts is also with retracted plunger comparatively bulky. The correct arrangement under the pipeline is also important difficult on the sea floor. Finally, there is also a stable support over each vertical Hydraulic ram is not guaranteed, especially with a higher support height.

The invention has d'e object to provide a support of simple construction that is easy to assemble and has good stability even with a greater support height.

The solution to this problem is shown in claim 1.

The subclaims relate to expedient developments to improve the stability with increased Support height.

The envisaged frame construction is comparatively simple and light despite good stability. By the Swing up the two intended hydraulic shocks! when extending the saddle in the Starting position within or close to the frame, compared to a single vertical hydraulic ram, lateral forces can also be better absorbed. The telescopic legs between the frame and the plate with the saddle form struts which the plate with the saddle into the Include the frame construction and support it in a permanently stable manner. A simplification of assembly results from the division of the saddle into half saddles and the provision of the hook part on the non-displaceable half saddle, with which the support on the pipeline

can be hung before the sliding half-saddle is placed on the pipeline, the legs up to the system at the sea floor and automatically "locked" and the first sagging pipeline is lifted by extending the hydraulic ram.

In the following the invention with further advantageous details is shown schematically with reference to Embodiments explained in more detail. In the drawings shows

F i g. 1 shows a horizontal section through an exemplary embodiment of an adjustable support according to the invention along the line AA in FIG. 2 seen;

F i g. Figure 2 shows a vertical section through the support along the line B-Bvn of Figure 1;

F i g. 3 shows a horizontal section through a modified embodiment along the line BB \ nF i g. 4;

F i g. 4 shows a vertical section through the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3 along the line AA in FIG. 3;

5 shows a horizontal section through a further modified embodiment of a support according to the invention along the line BB in FIG. 6;

F i g. 6 shows a vertical section through the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5 along the line A -A in F i g. 5.

As shown in FIG. 1 and 2, belongs to the adjustable support according to the invention tubular frame 1 with a square or rectangular base, the four vertical legs 6 has, which are displaceable in guide tubes 7 and on which two opposite one another Locking teeth 8 are welded. At the lower ends of the four legs 6, support plates 10 are attached so that that they can adapt to the slope of the seabed. On two opposite sides of the Frame 1, two hydraulic rams 2 are attached with their lower ends, while their upper ends with two opposite sides of a plate 11 arranged above the frame 1 are connected. With the lifting of the plate 11 changes the included angle of the plunger. At the four corners of the frame 1 are four inclined telescopic legs hinged at its lower end, while its upper end is connected to the four corners of the plate 11. Each telescopic leg consists of two coaxial tubes, namely an outer tube 3 and one inner tube 4, which is displaceable within the tube 3 and on which two opposite one another Locking teeth are welded on. The inclined telescopic legs are secured by four locking devices in the form of stops or locking pieces 5 secured, but after inserting them into the locking teeth, the telescopic legs go up cannot slide down. The vertical legs 6 are shaped by four locking devices secured by stops or locking pieces 17, after their insertion into the locking teeth 8, the legs after can slide down but not up. The vertical legs 6 are before the support is installed held by a release arrangement in the form of two parallel rods 21 which at their ends are firmly connected to pins or locking pieces 19, after their insertion into the locking toothing 8, the legs 6 be held. The two collars 25 which are under the pressure of springs 26 Rods can slide in guides 27 and are connected to one another by a rod 28, which starts from a one side of the tubular frame 1 attached hook 29 is held in the rest position. When lifting

of the hook 29 becomes the arrangement comprising the rods and locking pieces 19 by the reaction of the springs 26 pushed to the right and at the same time releases the vertical legs 6. On the tubular frame is also hooked a float 32, which after placing the support under the pipeline can be obtained again. The buoyancy of this floating body 32 is through a tubular Counterweight 9 balanced.

The arrangement for hooking the pipeline 22 to be supported comprises one or more half saddles 23, the upper part of which is in the form of a hook 12 and which is or are attached to the plate 11. aside from that rests on an extension 20 of the plate 11 one or more sliding half saddles 13, which release devices 14 and locking devices 15 are assigned. When the sliding half-saddle 13 released by the release device 14 and under the pressure of a spring 16 to the fixed half-saddle 23 has been moved, the locking devices have the task of the sliding half saddles against to hold the pipeline 22 already gripped by the hook 12 of the fixed half-saddles clamped. The extension 20 of the plate 11 is by means of a release device 18 and is left behind on the seabed when the sliding half-saddles 13 have been released. The upper part in the form of the hook 12 is opened by means of a release device 24 solved and regained.

The work steps required to install the support under the pipeline to be supported are much easier and quicker to perform than those required for other types of known support Operations. The support according to the invention is prepared on land or on a depot ship so that the vertical legs more or less those for the distance between the seabed and the one to be supported Pipeline have the necessary length. The support provided with the float 32 so that the entire unit that has buoyancy in water is then placed on the seabed in the vicinity of the planned installation point lowered. Then it is taken over by a submarine or by divers and by means of the Hook 12 hooked on the fixed half-saddle 23 over the pipeline. Upon actuation of the release device 14 for the sliding half-saddle 13 is this under the action of the spring 16 in the correct seat in the lower part of the fixed half-saddle 23 and remains with the help of the automatic locking device 15 on the Pipeline stuck. The device 18 is operated to release the extension 20 of the plate 11 and give up.

At the same time the legs 6 are released by means of the release device assigned to them and through her own weight in the seabed below the inclined according to the design of the seabed Support plates rammed. The locking in the form of the locking pieces 17 prevents the legs 6 slide up and secure it in the position it has reached.

The float 32 is then released and recovered to provide further support to be used.

When the hydraulic ram 2 is actuated, the plate 11 with the four telescopic legs hinged to it raised. By the upward movement of the plate 11, the two half saddles 13 and 23 with the on them resting pipeline 22 in the same

Moving direction. This movement continues until the pipeline is raised enough that their sagging due to a bend is eliminated. The locking pieces 5 lock the inclined Telescopic legs automatically in the position reached.

When the vertical legs 6 are floating above the seabed, they are supported by the Actuation of the hydraulic ram 2 initially pressed against the seabed. Then the pipeline using the frame 1 as a support which cannot move downwards because of the locking pieces 17, raised.

Finally, by means of the release device 24, the upper part in the form of the hook 12 is attached to the semi-saddle 23 solved and caught up again.

In the F i g. 3, 4 and 5, 6 show two modifications of the support described, which differ from previously described embodiment differ only in that between the half saddles supporting plate 11 and the frame 1 further> u lattice structures are switched on, their only one The task is to increase the level of support. In addition, the frame 1 is expanded to to get a larger support surface.

The support shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 differs from the embodiment described first in that the upper ends of the hydraulic rams 2 and the inclined telescopic legs are connected to a plate 31, which in turn is connected to the upper plate 11 via four vertical legs 30 jo which correspond entirely to the vertical legs 6 that support the basic frame 1. The length of these legs can be adjusted according to the height required for support.

The support J5 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from the other two exemplary embodiments in that instead of four vertical legs the basic frame has six legs and with the upper structure is connected via six stationary struts 33. The upper construction consists of two horizontal tubular frames, namely a lower frame 36 and an upper frame 37, which are connected to one another by six guide tubes 34 to which the struts 33 are welded are and in which six legs 35 slide, which are provided with locking teeth and with the plate 11 are firmly connected, which supports the two half saddles 13 and 23. The plate U is made by means of the two hydraulic tappets 2, which are connected at their ends to the frame 37 and the plate 11, respectively. Instead of providing floating bodies, as they were attached to the supports described so far, are in this third embodiment, floating balls 32 are provided which either remain in place or be emptied.

This support is installed as in the first exemplary embodiment, ie the support is hooked onto the fixed half-saddles 13 on the pipeline to be supported by means of the hooks 12. The displaceable half-saddle 23 is released by means of the release device 14 and is pushed into the stationary half-saddle 23 and remains secured on the pipe with the aid of the locking device 15. The extension 20 extending in the transverse direction is released and released by means of the release device 18. The legs 6 are released by the pins or locking pieces 19 of the automatic release device already described and, by their own weight ai'f, drop the seabed into which they are driven and in which they remain firmly locked with the help of the locking pieces 17. Then the hydraulic lifters 2 are operated to raise the pipeline as much as is necessary to remove the sagging due to a bend. Stops or locking pieces 38 provided on the legs 35 lock these legs in the position they have reached. The upper part in the form of a hook 12 on the semi-saddle 23 is released by means of the release device 24. The pipeline then rests only on the two half-saddles 13 and 23.

For this purpose 4 sheets of drawings

Claims (1)

Patent claims: 1. Height-adjustable support for one at a distance of more than 80 cm from the seabed laid underwater pipeline, with a rectangular frame made up of pipes, the four has vertical legs, which are slidable in guide tubes and so with centrally unlockable Toothed ratchets are provided that they after unlocking due to their own weight from the Extend the guide tubes, but then cannot retract them again, with at the lower ends the legs attached support plates, which are adjustable to the inclination of the seabed, with two hydraulically extendable tappets, which at one end on two opposite sides of the Frame are connected to this and at their other ends with two opposite ends Sides of a plate attached above the frame are connected and their axes one Include the angle that changes when the ram is extended, the height of the plate is adjusted, and with four telescopic legs, which at one end each at a corner of the Frame and are hinged at its other end to the plate and which locking teeth with Have locking pieces that allow an extension of the telescopic legs when lifting the plate, prevent a shortening, however, by doing this marked that 30th